US aviation agency to wrap up SpaceX Starship environmental assessment by December 31

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is likely to wrap up its environmental assessment of SpaceX's Starship launch program by the end of this year. According to a report by Space.com, the FAA began reviewing the impacts of rocket launches around SpaceX's Starbase facility from an environmental perspective earlier this year and presented an estimated date for its completion by December 31. The latest announcement certainly provided an idea of the review's end, but it also diminished SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's dream of conducting the first-ever orbital test flight of Starship later in 2021.

FAA and its environmental assessment

SpaceX aims to conduct multiple Starship programs over the next several years and in order to execute the programs, it requires a permit or vehicle operator licenses issued from the FAA. Before granting SpaceX a permit, the FAA has drafted a Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA), which evaluates the potential environmental impacts of the launch activities conducted at the Starbase facility located in Boca Chica of Cameron County, Texas.

Replying to a tweet about the assessment, Musk responded on Monday on Twitter saying, "The hard work by FAA, US Fish & Wildlife, and Texas Parks & Wildlife is much appreciated, as well as the strong local support from Cameron County and Brownsville / South Padre!"

The Starship program is the most ambitious project of SpaceX as it aims at developing an interplanetary vehicle to carry cargo and crew to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. However, this announcement by the FAA has cast doubts over the first orbital test flight of the Starship spacecraft which was earlier being planned for later this year. Recently, SpaceX conducted the first six-engine static test-fire of the Starship SN20 at the Starbase facility. 

Starship underwent first six engines static test fire

All six engines of the Starship SN20 were ignited on the site as part of SpaceX’s preparations for the longest test flight Starship has undergone to date. It was the second static fire test conducted with Starship 20, as recently on October 22, the spacecraft was fired when it was outfitted with only two raptor engines - the vacuum version and the standard 'sea-level' raptor. CEO Musk had also shared pictures of a fully stacked Starship spacecraft standing tall at the launch site.

Image: Twitter/@ElonMusk